1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to paint roller cleaners and, more specifically, to a centrifugal paint roller cleaner wherein a used paint roller brush with water soluble paint on it is rotatably secured within a cylindrical housing member and a liquid cleaning agent is introduced into the housing member as a high energy single jet spray via an injector assembly that slides within an aperture that runs longitudinally along the length of the aforementioned housing member. The jet spray contacts the roller brush at an appropriate angle to encourage axial rotation of the roller brush and also impacts paint absorbed to the nap of the roller brush. The axial rotation of the roller brush creates centrifugal force which serves to expel the loosened paint and water from the nap of the brush and into the fluid traveling within the area between the outer surface of the brush and the interior wall of the housing. The circumferential surfaces of the outer brush and interior wall of the housing member are concentric and provide for corresponding movement of liquid. Deflectors, which extend angularly and longitudinally from the interior wall disturb the laminar flow and redirect the liquid back towards the outer surface of the brush to enhance both the cleaning and propulsive properties of the circulating liquid. The deflectors direct the fluid flow away from the apertures in the housing member (paint roller frame keyway and guiding passage) thus rendering the operation of the device splash-proof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are other paint roller cleaning devices designed for cleaning paint roller brushes in a neat, thorough manner. Typical of these is U.S. Pat. No. 3,428,060 issued to D. K. Spivey on Feb. 18, 1969.
Another patent was issued to Jerry J. Harvey on Jan. 19, 1982 as U.S. Pat. No. 4,311,158. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 5,363,869 was issued to James McDowell on Nov. 15, 1994, and still yet another was issued on May 9, 1995 to Frank A. Russell as U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,133.
Another patent was issued to Dale A. Hannah on Jan. 30, 1996 as U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,399. A German Patent No. 2,407,578 was issued to Claude Detraz on Feb. 16, 1974.
The article cleaner housing cover and floor, journal a rotatable mount for an article, for instance a paint roller. The shaft of the article mount extends down through the floor and has an impeller secured to it. An inlet fluid conduit divides and supplies a spray of fluid against the article and a stream of fluid against the impeller to rotate the article.
A washer/dryer for paint rollers comprises a bucket-like container having pivotally-mounted inside a normally horizontal paint-roller spindle-shaft assembly, including outward resilient supports of a length less than a standard paint roller, to leave the ends of a roller mounted thereon open. An elongated water manifold, fed by a diverter valve, supplies water through primary spray heads to clean the outer side of the roller, and to secondary spray heads, axially outward of the roller and directed substantially parallel to the spindle axis, for cleaning the open ends of the roller. Water is also directed by a jet nozzle onto a turbine coupled for rotation with the paint-roller support; by operation of the diverter valve, water may be supplied to at least the spray heads for washing, to only the jet nozzle for spin drying, or to neither to terminate the wash/dry cycle.
A roller cleaning assembly for cleaning water-soluble paint from a paint roller cover has two major components, namely an enclosure and a spray jet component. The enclosure has a rigid sidewall, preferably of rectangular cross-section, open at the bottom to permit free drainage and has a top wall with a central round opening of sufficient diameter to accommodate the roller cover. A u-shaped channel can grip the neck portion of the roller handle. The jet component is biased by a spring-like interference fit in the interior of the enclosure. A jet component has an inlet tube with a female fitting to attach to a source of water, and first and second riser pipes that rise from the inlet tube and which contain jet outlets that are spaced at intervals. The riser pipes direct jets of water and the roller cover to dislodge paint from the nap and to impart a spin to the roller. A bracket can be employed to mount the enclosure on a tank or bucket.
A paint roller cleaning device includes a housing covered with a cover to hold the cylindrical brush of the paint roller on the inside, a spray tube received inside the housing and controlled to eject water onto the cylindrical brush of the paint roller causing the cylindrical brush washed or causing it turned to shake off water.
A hollow tubular housing is provided having a freely rotatable support frame for holding a paint roller pad while cleaning. The housing is closed at one end and includes a series of openings down one side. A movable spray-tube is provided on the outside of the housing and includes a series of spray jets which correspond to the openings to spray water into the housing. The movability of the spray tube allows the user to change the direction of the water spray before or during cleaning in order to vary the speed and/or direction of the rotating roller pad inside. A second spray tube having a series of spray-openings therein is fixedly provided as the center shaft of the rotating internal support frame. A closable valve on the outside spray tube allows the user to adjust the flow of water to the sprayers. A specially formed gapped end piece is provided in the support frame to allow water from the inside spray tube to escape.
While these roller brush cleaners may be suitable for the purposes for which they were designed, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention, as hereinafter described.
The present invention relates generally to paint roller cleaning devices and, more specifically, to a centrifugal paint roller cleaning device wherein a used paint roller brush with fresh paint on it is rotatably secured within a cylindrical housing member and a liquid cleaning agent is introduced into the housing member as a high energy single jet spray via an injector assembly which slides within an elongated aperture that runs longitudinally along the length of the aforementioned housing member.
A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a centrifugal roller brush cleaning device that will overcome the shortcomings of prior art devices.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a centrifugal roller brush cleaning device that allows the user to contain and control the flow and over spray of a liquid cleaning agent as it is being sprayed onto a roller brush that is rotatably secured within a substantially enclosed cylindrical housing member.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a centrifugal roller brush cleaning device that rotatably maintains a roller brush within a housing member having an inlet means for introducing a liquid cleaning agent and an egress means to permit drainage of the same liquid cleaning agent in a controlled manner.
A yet further object of the present invention is to provide a centrifugal roller brush cleaning device wherein the inlet means is a single injector assembly that is slidably maintained within an elongated aperture extending lengthwise along one side of the housing member to permit a high energy single jet spray to be applied to the entire length of the roller brush therein.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a centrifugal roller brush cleaning device wherein the injector assembly has a normally-shut spring loaded integral valve that restrains flow of the liquid cleaning agent into the housing member until the operator pushes the injector valve into the open position.
A yet further object of the present invention is to provide a centrifugal roller brush cleaning device whereby the high energy single jet spray strikes the roller brush in a manner that results in the axial rotation of the roller brush thereby expelling waste material and liquid absorbed to the nap. The injector assembly can also swivel radially within the guiding passage to regulate the rotational speed of the roller brush.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a centrifugal roller brush cleaning device having deflector projections protruding from the interior wall of the housing member to direct the fluid flow away from the apertures in the housing member (paint roller frame keyway and guiding passage) thus rendering the operation of the device splash-proof.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a centrifugal roller brush cleaning device having deflector projections protruding from the interior wall of the housing member to disrupt the laminar flow of the liquid and redirect it towards the roller brush as it flows in a descending spiral in the area between the spinning roller brush and the stationary housing member, thereby further adding rotational momentum to the spinning paint roller brush.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a centrifugal roller brush cleaning device that is substantially perpendicular to the base surface when in use and having a superior end that has a removable cap and an inferior end with a series of ejector apertures and drainage slots to allow drainage of the liquid cleaning agent and guide the drained waste away from the user.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a centrifugal roller brush cleaning device having means for adjustably securing and cleaning roller brushes of varying lengths and diameters therein while still on the roller handle frame or when independent from the roller handle frame.
Additional objects of the present invention will appear as the description proceeds.
The present invention overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art by providing a centrifugal paint roller cleaner wherein a used paint roller brush with fresh paint on it is rotatably secured within a cylindrical housing member and liquid is introduced into the housing member as a high energy single jet spray via an injector assembly that slides within an aperture that runs longitudinally along the length of the aforementioned housing member. The injector assembly swivels radially within the guiding passage to adjust the angle at which the high energy single jet spray strikes the roller brush thus allowing the operator to regulate the axial rotation of the roller brush and the impact of the jet spray striking the paint absorbed to the nap of the roller brush. The axial rotation of the roller brush creates centrifugal force which serves to expel the loosened paint and water from the nap of the brush and into the fluid traveling within the area between the outer surface of the brush and the interior wall of the housing. The circumferential surfaces of the outer brush and interior wall of the housing member are concentric and provide for corresponding movement of liquid. Deflectors which extend angularly and longitudinally from the interior wall disturb the laminar flow and redirect the liquid back towards the outer surface of the brush and away from the apertures located within the housing member to enhance both the cleaning and propulsive properties of the circulating liquid while rendering the operation splash proof.
The foregoing and other objects and advantages will appear from the description to follow. In the description reference is made to the accompanying drawing, which forms a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments will be described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. In the accompanying drawing, like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views.
The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is best defined by the appended claims.